Reconsider TGWH Parking Rates

Attention: TGWH Leadership Team,

We write to you as primary end users of the Elizabeth Parking Garage and members of the Toronto General / Western Hospital Family to emphatically express our great concern over the parking price increase set for September 1, 2014. Although we note you have made some adjustments to the originally advertised increases, we seek your collaborative support in kindly considering further amendments to the proposed plan.

While the potential revenue this may generate seems appealing for the organization, we fear that it comes at a high cost. This cost unduly burdens and encumbers our own staff.

Interestingly:

• …while unionized employees have received modest salary increases; they would lose 3.3% of gross salary solely on parking²⁴⁵⁶⁸
• …electricity rates have averaged 4% increases over the last decade in Ontario³
• …the City of Toronto Commercial Property tax annual increase is capped at a maximum rate of 5%¹
• …anecdotal evidence suggests costs and convenience related to transportation may be a strong predictor of UHN staff satisfaction and retention.
• …consumer price index in the last 20 years in Canada has averaged 1.82%⁷

We kindly look onto your leadership to take a strong role in being consistent with the incremental index pricing increase as noted above. We submit a price hike of 70% for daily parking and 33% for a monthly transponder rate is not the right decision.  Thank you for reevaluating the parking rates.

References

1. City of Toronto. (2014). Property Tax Rates. Retrieved June 22, 2014 from http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=6245ff0e43db1410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=63b0ff0e43db1410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD.
2. Ontario (November 2013). Collective Bargaining Highlights November 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2014 from http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/lr/pdf/cbh2013-11.pdf.
3. Ontario Energy Board (OEB). (2014). Historical Electricity Prices. Retrieved June 29, 2014 from http://www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/oeb/Consumers/Electricity/Electricity%20Prices/Historical%20Electricity%20Prices.
4. Ontario Nurses Association (ONA). (2014). Collective Agreement Expiry: March 31, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014 from https://www.ona.org/documents/File/onanews/Draft_HospitalCentralAgreement_20140331.pdf.
5. Ontario Nurses Association (ONA). (2014). Collective Agreement Expiry: March 31, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2014 from http://www.ona.org/documents/File/pdf/cas/hospitals/HospitalCentralAgreement-English_March312016.pdf.
6. Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 571 (OPSEU). (2014). Collective Agreement. Retrieved July 1, 2014 from https://intranet.remote.uhn.ca/cvpn/y-5nbdY-lWHqO_XyS29GmnOCpMsVGh8/sites/uhn/Human_Resources/General_Information/Collective_Agreements/opseau.pdf.
7. Statistics Canada. (2014). Consumer Price Index, historical summary 1994 to 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2014 from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/econ46a-eng.htm.
8. The Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 5001 (CUPE). (2009). Collective Agreement. Retrieved May 30, 2014 from https://intranet.remote.uhn.ca/cvpn/y-5nbdY-lWHqO_XyS29GmnOCpMsVGh8/sites/uhn/Human_Resources/General_Information/Collective_Agreements/cupe_ft_tgh.pdf.